After a two-year drought, the Fashion Malawi Edition (FAME) returns this summer with a week-long of fashion exhibitions.

It follows the Malawi Fashion Week which was only held in its year of inception, 2013, and has since gone into oblivion.

Their colleagues, the pioneers of fashion shows in Malawi, FAME, have resurrected after they had also gone into hibernation the same year.

“Taking a reflective year out in 2014 gave FAME team the chance to re-energize and plot something different. We’re really excited to present it to Malawi,” says FAME director Zilanie Nyundo.

FAME is currently looking for up-and-coming designers to be “the next big label” from Malawi under the theme of “Trendsetters”.

“Malawi can look forward to an exciting week filled with great fashion from the Malawi professional designers and international designers, from August 22-29.

“Malawi, like Africa as a whole is filled with creative talent, set to inspire and drive modern African into the future,” says FAME project manager, Samantha Nampuntha.

A unique showcase founded five years ago, FAME is a collaborative arts project that produces an exhibit profiling the original work of fashion designers, outlets and accessories artisans.

Representing the dynamisms of creative entrepreneurship, especially the fashion industry in the emerging African, FAME observes that Africans own their destiny.

“We will this year celebrate our evolving Africa with designs that are created for the contemporary African,” Nampuntha states.

The Fashion Week shall comprise of four elements; the emerging designers who shall compete at the “Up and Coming Designer” fashion show, The Distinguished Gentleman (an exclusive evening of menswear with international designers) and the FAME main showcase (Malawi and international designers).

The “Up and Coming Designer” event is slated for August 22 at Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute and the winner will have the opportunity to showcase with the professional designers on August 28 at Ufulu Gardens Hotel.

After Lilongwe, the exhibition will go to Blantyre where FAME will also showcase at the University of Malawi (Unima) Social Weekend on August 29.

“The growth of the fashion scene is our objective and we have carefully looked at how Malawi can realize new direction in 2015 – capacity building, menswear, new designers and the student factor are key components,” Nampuntha further says.

New designers are asked to apply via email (snampuntha@gmail.com), with a designer profile, accompanied with a look book and should include six pictures of their designs, whether physical or sketched. The deadline for applications is August 10.

In 2013, FAME partnered with the Africa Movie Academy Awards and held an exclusive fashion show celebrating the work of top local designers Lilly Alfonso (FAME winner 2010), Yavinde Nyasulu (FAME winner 2012) and Isaac Bukhu as well as designers Krouma Ibrahim and Ejiro Amos Tafiri, from Guinea and Nigeria, respectively.